The Office of Campus Life and Student Services at Brown University has received
results of a campuswide assessment it commissioned early this year. That study,
prepared by Mcguire Associates Inc. of Boston, gathered information and opinions
from 45 percent of undergraduates, 31 percent of graduate students and 39
percent of medical students via the Web during February.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Undergraduate students at Brown University report a
very high level of overall satisfaction with their campus experience, according
to an independent survey conducted in February by Mcguire Associates Inc. of
Boston. More than 90 percent of current undergraduates say they would choose
Brown again.

“Although that broad-brush positive result was very satisfying,”
said Janina Montero, vice president for campus life and student services,
“we are looking to the assessment to identify areas of campus life where
significant work needs to be done. We are just beginning to analyze those
results.”

The Campus Climate Assessment, commissioned by the Office of Campus Life and
Student Services, used a Web-based questionnaire to gather information from
3,163 Brown students, including a 45-percent response rate from the
undergraduate student body, 31 percent from graduate students, and 39 percent
from medical students. Online data gathering was conducted Feb. 1-25, 2001,
using a Web server controlled by Mcguire Associates to ensure confidentiality.
All respondents were verified as Brown students, and only fully completed
questionnaires were counted.

In addition to providing information about themselves (race, age, religious
affiliation, sexual orientation, financial aid status, etc.), students were
asked to respond to 83 statements, using a seven-point scale from
“strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” Most responses
indicated satisfaction at a level between 5 and 7.

“Student participation in the study was extraordinarily good, so the
assessment is rich with information and will support a great many
studies,” Montero said. “Our goal was to identify strengths and
weaknesses of the University’s programs and services and to better
understand the factors that are important in students’ overall
satisfaction with campus life. I believe we have important information with the
new data.”

Montero received a preliminary report last week. Further studies on
satisfaction levels for selected subpopulations are being prepared, including
analyses for students of color and students who receive financial aid.
Additional reports for graduate and medical students are also underway, Montero
said. On the whole, graduate and medical students reported lower levels of
satisfaction than undergraduates.

Several factors appeared to have no statistically significant influence on
overall student satisfaction, Montero said. These include gender, semester
level, age, sexual orientation, concentration, disability status, religious
affiliation and citizenship.

Preliminary information about the undergraduate experience

Student involvement in campus life correlates positively with overall
satisfaction. Students reporting the highest levels of satisfaction were
also the most likely, within the last two semesters, to have spoken in class;
had a nontrivial conversation with a person of a different race; spoken with a
professor outside class about academic issues; attended a theater or musical
performance; attended an athletic event; or attended a cultural awareness event
regarding a group different from their own.

Socio-economic factors are highly important in overall satisfaction with
life at Brown. Students who did not apply for financial aid rated their
satisfaction significantly higher than students who applied for and received
aid. Students with modest financial means perceived Brown to be less supportive
of them and of all students; students from affluent families perceived Brown to
be highly supportive of all students.

Students perceive Brown to be most supportive of: political liberals;
students from affluent families; white students; student athletes; students who
are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered; Asian or Pacific Islanders;
international students; multiracial students; African American students; Latino
students.

Students perceive Brown to be least supportive of: political
conservatives; students of limited financial means.

Students reported the highest level of satisfaction with the service
quality of: the Swearer Center for Public Service; minority peer counselors;
women peer counselors; Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life; resident
counselors; Sarah Doyle Women’s Center; Third World Center. (The
assessment inquired about 11 services not normally included on University
surveys.)

Compared with female students, male students are more likely to:
concentrate in physical sciences; belong to club sports or recreation groups; be
politically conservative or interact with conservatives; say Brown was not their
first choice; live in a Greek house; spend fewer hours studying per
week.

Nearly all groups believe other groups are better supported by Brown.
Men believe Brown is more supportive of women; women believe Brown is more
supportive of men. Nearly all racial subgroups believe other racial subgroups
are better supported than their own. This “grass is greener”
perspective is consistent across all groups. Students who appear to be
advantaged do not see themselves as having any particular advantage.

Student employment can be a factor in overall satisfaction. Although
there was not a significant difference in reported satisfaction between students
who work for pay and those who do not, students who work more than 15 hours per
week report a lower level of satisfaction than students who work fewer than 15
hours. This assessment includes data on students who report working off-campus
outside the University’s student employment system.

While the Campus Climate Assessment is a very rich source of information, it
is not the only source available to Brown. Montero and her colleagues will also
analyze this information in relation to the University’s annual senior
survey as well as data reported regularly to national organizations.

A Web-based assessment was an appropriate choice for Brown. “The most
recent analyses of Web-based surveys suggest that the level of disclosure is
highest, compared with other techniques,” Montero said. “Students
are very well versed in Web and e-mail, and being able to complete the
questionnaire on their computers and on their own schedule helped increase the
ease and level of participation.”

“Certainly, this will be immediately useful and will set an agenda for
addressing the most significant elements that lead to greater student
satisfaction with their educational experience,” Montero said. “It
is the richness of our environment and the degree to which students are
intellectually and personally engaged that leads to a satisfying
experience.”

A more detailed Campus Climate Assessment will be ready for presentation to
the Student Life Committee of the Corporation at its May meeting, Montero said.
The Office of Campus Life intends to present results of the study to the campus
community soon after classes resume in September.